Carriage-wheel lock



(No Model.)

11. P. OOWLES. I CARRIAGE WHEEL LOCK.

Patented Feb; 10, 1885. 1

NITE Starr s ATENT tries,

RUEL P. COWVLES, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

CARRIAGE-WHEEL LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 312,191, dated February10, 1885.

Application filed November 3, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RUEL P. CowLEs, of New Haven, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented new Improvements inCarriage-\Vheel Locks; and I do hereby declare the following, when takenin connection with accompanying drawings, and the letters of referencemarked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrpresent,in

Figure 1,an under side view of the carriage, showingthe lock applied;Fig. 2, the lock detached, showing one of the prongs in longitudinalsection; Fig. 3, a reverse side ofthe lock from that shown in Fig. 2;Fig. 4, a longitudinal section through the plate, showing an edge viewof the bar.

This invention relates to a device to be attached to a carriage to lockthe wheel to prevent accidental movement of the carriage, with specialreference to childrens carriages. Many accidents occur in the use ofthis class of carriages, particularly on sidewalks, due to the attendantleaving the carriage standing on the walk with the child therein. Thecarriage is easily started, and the natural inclina tion of the walkcauses it to run to the edge of the walk, and off the curb, and upset.Devices have been applied to prevent such accidents, such dcvices beingin the form of a brake, or of a chain attached to the body to hookaround the felly of the wheel; but the brake is n ncertaiu,and makes arattling, trappy attachment to the carriage; the chain permitsconsiderable movement of the carriage, and if working properly,defacesthe wheel. Such chains, however, are made from wire openlinks, liable todisengagement, so that the chain is a very uncertain fastening.

The object of my invention is to provide a. dead-lock for the wheel,which may be applied upon the under side of the carriage out of sight,so that it does not detract from the appearance of the carriage, willnot rattle, and always ready for use; and-it consists in a bar adaptedto be arranged upon the under side of the carriage in guides to slidesubstantially parallel with the axle, the outer end of the bar forked toengage one of the spokes of a wheel when the carriage is required tostand,

or be thrown outof sight and out of the way when not required for use,and as more fully hereinafter described.

A is the bar, arranged in guides a a on aplate, B, and so as to slidelongitudinally through said guides. The outer end of the barisconstructed to form a fork, O, the prongs of this fork being distantfrom each other substantially the diameter of a spoke.

On the plate B, on the reverse side of the bar A, a spring, D, isarranged to bear the bar against the guides a, and produce sufficientfriction to retain the bar at any position to which it may be placedtherein, and to prevent rattling of the bar when attached to thecarriage.

The plate B is applied to the bottom of the carriage, as'seen in Fig. 1,andsecured thereto by screws, so that the bar will stand substantiallyparallel with the axle, and may be so that the prongs of the fork maypass entirely beneath the carriage out of sight.

W hen it is required to lock the carriage, the attendant takes hold ofthe prongs-of the bar, draws the bar outward until the p ongs willembrace one of the spokes in the wheel. This done, the wheel is securelylocked, and cannot be turned until the bar is moved inward to take thefork from engagement with the spoke.

It will be understood that the plate, bar, and fork are made as anarticle of manufacture, to be supplied to the manufacturers of carriagesor others for attachment to carriages.

If the prongs of the fork be not protected by some soft material. theywill be liable to chafe the spoke. To avoid such chafing, I constructthe prongs of the fork with a tip, I), somewhat larger than the body ofthe prong, then place a piece of rubber tubing, (1, over the prong, oneend abuttingagainst the bar at the base of the prong. the other enddropping down behind the tip Z), as seen in Fig. 2, solid blackindicating the tube in section. This forms ajack et-like cushioninclosing the prong, and presenting a surface of such a character thatit will not chafe the spoke, and yet does not apparently increase thesize of the prong.

I do not wish to be understood as claiming, broadly, a bolt arranged toengage the wheel of a carriage, as such, broadly considered, I am aware,is not new; but I am not aware of ICO the construction of a bolt, brake,or look adapted to be applied to the under side of the body of thecarriage, and having its outer end forked so that the prongs of the forkmay embrace one of the spokes of the wheel-essential features of myinvention.

I claim- 1. As an article of manufacture, the hereindescribedcarriage-wheel lock, consisting of the plate B, constructed with guidesat a, the bar A, arranged in said guides,and constructed at its outerendin fork shape, substantially as described.

2. The barA,its outer end fork-shaped, and arranged in guides upon theunder side of a carriage-body substantially parallel with the axle,substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a carriage-wheel lock, the sliding bar A, its outer end forked,the prongs of the fork inclosed by an elastic or flexible jacket,substantially as described. 7

4. Ina carriage-lock, thesliding bar A, constructed at its outer end offork shape, the prongs of the fork constructed at their outer end withatip, I), and the prongs inclosed by an elastic tube between said tipand base of the prong, substantially as described.

' RUEL P. CO WLES.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN E. EARLE, LILLIAN D. KELSEY.

